Ponies Face a Monstrous Unicorn in New My Little Pony Clip

Pinkie Pie does some reconnaissance of the crystal ponies in the Season 3 premiere of Friendship Is Magic.

King Sombra puts a curse on the Crystal Empire in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic.

Ambitious unicorn Twilight Sparkle teams up with her brother Shining Armor to take on the Smoke Monster-esque King Sombra in a new clip from the upcoming season of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, premiering above.

It’s dark territory for the animated TV show, which has gained an unlikely (and rapidly growing) “ultra-cult” following among adults.

(Spoiler alert: Minor plot points follow in the text and video.)

In the Season 3 premiere of My Little Pony, which airs Saturday on the Hub, Twilight Sparkle has been asked by Princess Celestia to protect the powerful Crystal Empire, which has re-emerged after disappearing in a 1,000-year curse brought about by King Sombra, a unicorn “whose heart was black as night” and has vaguely vampire-ish fangs. To protect the newly returned empire, the unicorn teams with her other Ponyville friends and her brother.

“Let’s just say the Empire isn’t the only thing that’s returned,” Shining Armor warns when the ponies arrive.

Find out what happens in the clip. Then check out two more images from the upcoming episode — one of Sombra himself and another of Pinkie Pie doing some reconnaissance — in the gallery above.